• 19 Marzo 2024 4:07

IK1TTD

An Italian Radioamateur Station

QRP

HOME MADE

I like to try build something. I’m not an expert, but I love using something made by me.

In my past here, when I started this hobby, I built different antenna’s, starting from Multiband Dipole, Morgain 40/80, Quad and Yagi.

Recently I started trying to building something more complicated for me …. 

I have build my QRP Station, the  SW20+ from Small Wonder Labs; moreover the little transceiver start to work greatly almost immediately; I was helped by a friend to setup perfectly the rig, and now is working great !

It is really amazing the feeling get doing qso with your own radio, something that you did; likewise, for me, which I have studied Commercial, it is a very big satisfaction sending a CQ all over the world really home made !

Now my QRP home made station needed a home made key; so I started looking for something nice small.

At the end I found this fantastic Horizontal Key from Kent  .. few components, a couple of hours to assembly and ready to go immediately !

 Finally, here the Key completed with a plastic transparent cover !  Ready to go ON AIR!


In January 2022 I have ordered the QRP QCX +, a very interesting project from QRP LABS people. Hans G0UPL it is a real gentleman, always ready to help people… I have mounted the 40 meter version of this fantastic QRP, and in Friedricshafen he fixed me a couple of small issues !

The QCX + has a very detailed Menu, with a lot of possibility and setup; it is also a BEACON, and you have also here tons of setting very useful to make some test on the prpagation. On the screen you can have several infos: frequency, smeter, time, split, rit and also a super fancy decoder for who has trouble to decode CW… I have tested along this summer in my Sardinia House, and I have to say work great !

I have made some test using an End Fed Antenna, you can read something about this on my page for Outdoor Antenna right here, Using the 5 Watt of the QCX I was able to make QSO’s at first call with whole Europe, and in the evening, also with some US station…

If you are looking for a small but reliable product, the QCX is the perfect QRP Machine ! Here below some picture about the building process and the final result.

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